Although Rick Springfield's music was frequently dismissed as vapid teen idol
fare, his best moments have actually withstood the test of time far better than
most critics would ever have imagined, emerging as some of the best-crafted
mainstream power pop of the 1980s. A singer turned soap opera star turned
singer, Rick Springfield was born Richard Springthorpe on August 23, 1949, in Sydney,
Australia, to a military man; the family moved around Australia and England a
great deal during Rick's childhood, and he sought his escape from the difficulty
of making friends in books and music. He formed a band in high school and
eventually joined a '50s revival group called Rock House, moving on from there
to join the teenybopper band Zoot in 1968. Zoot became one of the most popular
groups in Australia until 1971, scoring several hits. Rick went solo
after the breakup and garnered his first U.S. success the following year with a
re-recording of his Australian hit "Speak to the Sky"; the song reached number
14 in the U.S., but would prove to be his last major success for quite some
time. Subsequent '70s albums stiffed, and record company difficulties prevented
Springfield from recording after 1976.
In the meantime, Rick Springfield had
begun taking acting classes; he signed a contract with Universal Studios in 1980
and appeared on several television programs. Although Universal dropped him
shortly thereafter, he was able to secure a recording contract with RCA on the
strength of his demos; in the midst of recording his debut for the label, he was
signed to play the young, eligible Dr. Noah Drake on General Hospital in 1981.
Springfield's popularity skyrocketed, setting the stage for the release of
Working Class Dog later that year. Powered by the classic single "Jessie's
Girl," which eventually hit the top of the charts, and the Top Ten follow-up
"I've Done Everything for You," Working Class Dog was a smash success, and
Springfield eventually returned to his first love of music when concerts
conflicted with his television career. The follow-up, Success Hasn't Spoiled Me
Yet, was released in 1982, spawning the Top Ten smash "Don't Talk to Strangers";
1983's Living in Oz offered more of the same, including the Top Ten "Affair of
the Heart," although it betrayed signs that the gears were beginning to wear
down on the Springfield machine.
Rick Springfield made the leap to the big
screen in 1984 with Hard to Hold, which was much more successful at the box
office than with critics; the soundtrack spawned his last Top Ten hit to date,
"Love Somebody." His career seemed to bottom out afterward, although he recorded
several more albums over the rest of the '80s, and continued to land television
roles into the '90s. In 1999, Rick returned with a new album, Karma.
Shock/Denial/Anger/Acceptance and Day After Yesterday followed in 2004 and 2005,
respectively. In 2007, Rick released the holiday-themed Christmas with
You, along with the Early Sound City Sessions collection. The following year, a
live DVD documenting his ultra-popular '80s concerts (Beat of the Live Drum) was
issued, as well as an album of all new material, Venus in Overdrive.
